Why is less energy required to break a C-H bond to form a more highly substituted radical? Can somebody summarize the words on this page to make it more understandable?

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Why is less energy required to break a C-H bond to form a more highly substituted radical? Can somebody summarize the words on this page to make it more understandable?

Both radicals and carbocations are electron-deficient because they lack an octet
around the carbon atom. Like carbocations, radicals are stabilized by the electron-
donating effect of alkyl groups, making more highly substituted radicals more stable.
This effect is confirmed by the bond-dissociation enthalpies shown in Figure 4-7: Less
energy is required to break a C-H bond to form a more highly substituted radical.
Stability of radicals
R
R
H
H
R-C.
R-C.
> R-C· >
Н-С:
R
H
H
H
most stable
least stable
3°
2°
1°
>
methyl
Like carbocations, radicals can be stabilized by resonance. Overlap with the p
orbitals of a T bond allows the odd electron to be delocalized over two carbon atoms.
Transcribed Image Text:Both radicals and carbocations are electron-deficient because they lack an octet around the carbon atom. Like carbocations, radicals are stabilized by the electron- donating effect of alkyl groups, making more highly substituted radicals more stable. This effect is confirmed by the bond-dissociation enthalpies shown in Figure 4-7: Less energy is required to break a C-H bond to form a more highly substituted radical. Stability of radicals R R H H R-C. R-C. > R-C· > Н-С: R H H H most stable least stable 3° 2° 1° > methyl Like carbocations, radicals can be stabilized by resonance. Overlap with the p orbitals of a T bond allows the odd electron to be delocalized over two carbon atoms.
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